Need 2 Know: Snowstorm Snarls Commutes, Assange Charged

Photo Credit: Vanessa Carvalho/Shutterstock

November 16, 2018

Updated 4mo ago

These are the headlines you Need 2 Know.

First Snowstorm: The Northeast was walloped by an early winter storm that left at least eight dead and snarled the evening rush hour from the Mid-Atlantic to New England. New York City got six inches of snow, the most for a November day in 136 years. Angry commuters lit up social media with complaints that the city didn’t seem at all prepared for a minor, albeit early, snowfall. Read more here.

The Zoo: Smithsonian’s National Zoo shared a video of its three-year-old panda bear, Bei Bei, frolicking in the snow. Watch here.

Wildfires: The death toll once again rose in California, where the Camp Fire has now claimed at least 63 lives. The number of missing has skyrocketed to 631 and officials say the blaze won’t be fully contained until the end of the month. One piece of good news: rain is in the forecast for late next week. Read more here.

Assange Charged: It was mistakenly revealed in a court filing that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been charged by federal prosecutors. It is unclear what the allegations are related to, though Assange has been accused of having participated in the Russian election operation. Assange is currently living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Read more here.

Khashoggi Fallout: As the U.S. hits several Saudis with sanctions over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Trump administration is reportedly looking for a way to legally extradite a U.S. resident and enemy of the Turkish president back to Turkey in exchange for that country backing off its pressure on the Saudi regime. Career diplomats were floored that the idea was even considered. Read more here.

Cig Crackdown: The FDA has proposed a complete ban on menthol cigarettes and restrictions on flavored e-cigarettes. The goal is to stop smoking among young people. Cigarette smoking is at a record low in the U.S. but vaping has been way up. Read more here.

Facebook Turmoil: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is pushing back on a bombshell report in the New York Times that the company stalled in responding to knowledge of a Russian misinformation campaign during the election. Zuckerberg defended his colleague Sheryl Sandberg, whom the article described as being furious that her deputy had told the board about the depth of the Russian meddling. Read more here.

Sports: The Rockets are parting ways with Carmelo Anthony after he played just ten games for the team. He’ll reportedly stay on the roster but not rejoin the team. He’s not eligible to be traded for another month. Read more here.

Auction Record: A painting by the artist David Hockney sold for more than $90 million, becoming the most expensive painting ever sold at auction by a living artist. The famous work, titled "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)," first sold in 1972 for $18,000. Read more here.

No More Whiskey: MMA champ Conor McGregor is apologizing to fans after his whiskey, “Proper No. 12” sold out--though the initial supply was supposed to last on the market six months after being introduced in September. Read more here.

Trumpy Bear: Twitter continues to light up with comments on a stuffed teddy bear called "Trumpy Bear" that’s been advertised on Fox News. Comments include “Democracy dies in a trumpy Bear ad” and “Trumpy Bear is the next Chucky Doll.” Read more here.

Batkid: The little boy with leukemia who became known as ‘Batkid’ after his hometown of San Francisco transformed itself into Gotham as part of his wish to become Batman for a day is officially cancer-free after five years of remission. Read more here.